Structural panel

ABSTRACT

A structural panel is provided with a core comprising a thick layer of urethane foam. The core is reinforced by a sheet of metal wire fabric embedded in and effectively bonded to the urethane foam whereby to reinforce the same. Lining each of the oppositely facing surfaces of the core is a urethane sheet also bonded to the urethane foam. Extending into one surface of the panel and along one edge thereof is a wide angle, V-shaped groove of a depth sufficient to sharply reduce the thickness of the core to a thickness approximately corresponding to that of said metal wire fabric, whereby the panel is divided into main body and flange parts interconnected by a hinge formation consisting of the area of said wire fabric embedded in the area of said core sharply reduced in thickness by said groove, and of the associated areas of said sheets of urethane.

United States Patent 1 Kephart, J r.

[ 1 May 8, 1973 [54] STRUCTURAL PANEL John W. Kephart, Jr., 1 115 Norsam Road, Gladwyne, Pa. 19035 June 8, 1971 [76] Inventor:

[22] Filed:

' 211 App]. No.: 151,113

[52] US. Cl. ..52/63l, 52/71, 52/309,

161/108,161/161 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04c 2/18, E040 2/40 [58] Field of Search ..52/71, 631, 309,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,189,823 3/1969 France ..52/309 Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. Attorney-Louis V. Schiavo [57] ABSTRACT A structural panel is provided with a core comprising a thick layer of urethane foam. The core is reinforced by a sheet of metal wire fabric embedded in and effectively bonded to the urethane foam whereby to reinforce the same. Lining each of the oppositely facing surfaces of the core is a urethane sheet also bonded to the urethane foam. Extending into one surface of the panel and along one edge thereof is a wide angle, V- shaped groove of a depth sufficient to sharply reduce the thickness of the core to a thickness approximately corresponding to that of said metal wire fabric, whereby the panel is divided into main body and flange parts interconnected by a hinge formation consisting of the area of said wire fabric embedded in the area of said core sharply reduced in thickness by said groove, and of the associated areas of said sheets of urethane.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented May 8, 1973 3,731,449

INVENTOR. JOHN w. KEPHART, Jr.

ATTORNEY.

STRUCTURAL rANEL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention In my U. S. Pat. No. 3,564,785, issued Feb. 23, 1971, I describe certain structural panels and how a plurality of such panels may be assembled to form the roof and walls of a building structure. This application is addressed to improvements in such structural panels.

2. Description of the Prior Art The structural panel of the aforementioned patent consists of a single sheet of laminated double or triple wall corrugated fiber board faced on one side thereof with moisture-proof sheet material and on the opposite side thereof with fire-resistant sheet material. The panel is scored to provide flanges which in the process of assembling the panels are turned on said scores and disposed normal to the main body of the panel. While structural panels made of such fiber board have remarkable strength, they are not satisfactory for some purposes for which they might be used. Panels light in weight, but inherently stronger and more rugged in use are sometimes required. In addition, sometimes panels characterized by lower thermal and/or moisture conductivity are required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The structural panel of the present invention is a unitary structure comprising a thick layer or core of coherent porous polymeric material reinforced by a sheet of flexible metal wire fabric. The oppositely facing surfaces thereof are lined with flexible sheet material. The arrangement is such that main body and flange parts are interconnected by a hinge formation upon which the flange part may be turned and disposed normal to the main body part when the panel is set up for use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 isa perspective view of a structural panel constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the panel shown in FIG. 1 but the flange part is turned on the hinge formation and disposed normal to the main body part.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following description is directed to the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawings. It is not addressed to the scope of the invention which may be practiced in a variety of forms.

Referring to the drawing, a structural panel constructed in accordance with the invention, generally designated 10, consists of a thick layer or core 12 of suitable material, a sheet 14 of wire fabric embeddedin the core and bonded to the material thereof whereby to reinforce the same, and sheets of suitable material 16 and 18 respectively bonded to and lining the oppositely facing surfaces of the core 12.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, spaced a substantial distance from and extending parallel to one edge of the panel is a wide angle, V-shaped groove 20 of a depth to 6 The sheet of wire fabric 14 is coextensive with the core 12 and is disposed equidistant from the oppositely facing surfaces thereof throughout the main body and flange parts of the panel. The area of the sheet of wire fabric 14 interconnecting the areas thereof embedded respectively in the main body and flange parts of the panel is provided with a wide angle, V-shaped score 28, the base of which is embedded in the area of the core 12 sharply reduced in thickness by the groove 20.

While, for purposes of illustration, the thickness of the area of the core 12 underlying the groove 20 is shown substantially thick in the drawings, it will be understood that the groove 20 is of a depth to reduce the thickness of said area of the core 12 to approximately that of the wire fabric.

The angle included between the opposite sides of the groove 20 is approximately 90, and the angle included between the opposite sides of the score 28 is approximately 135.

The core 12 may be made of thermoplastic or other polymeric material expandable by heat in the presence of a catalyst to form a foamed, coherent porous structure. Preferably, it is a high density closed cell selfextinguishing urethane foam, and the sheet of wire fabric 14 reinforcing the core 12 is metal wire mesh, such as chicken wire. The sheets 16 and 18 lining the oppositely facing surfaces of the core 12 may be of plastic material, such as urethane sheet, or of paper stock, such as asbestos paper impregnated with a suitable plastic substance, depending upon the use to which the panel is to be put.

The area of the flexible sheet 18 lining the groove 20 has applied thereto a pressure sensitive adhesive, which, if desired, may be covered with a tape (not shown) that is stripped therefrom to expose the adhesive when the panel is set up for use.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, in the use of the panel, the flange part 24 is turned upon the hinge part 26 and disposed normal to the main body part 22, whereupon the included angle between the opposite sides of the groove 20 is closed and the opposed areas 30 of the flexible sheet 18 lining the groove are adhesively secured together. In this connection, it will be noted that when the flange part 24 is set up normal to the main body part 22, the areas 30 of the flexible sheet 18 are folded and tucked deep into a cut or recess extending from the line of intersection of the inner surfaces respectively of the main body and flange parts towards the line of intersection of the outer surfaces respectively of the main body and flange parts and terminating close adjacent the latter.

While in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form or embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in mean that changes may be made in the form of the structural panel described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In a structural panel, the combination consisting of -A. a substantially thick coherent porous core of polymeric material having in one of the oppositely facing surfaces thereof a wide angle, V-shaped groove, the angle included between the opposite sides of said groove being approximately 90, and said groove being of a depth approximately the thickness of said core,

B. a sheet of flexible wire fabric substantially coexangles thereto, said flange part being partially separated from said main body part by a deep cut extending from the line of intersection of the inner surfaces respectively of said parts toward tensive with said core, said wire fabric being em- 5 the line of intersection of the outer surfaces bedded in and effectively bonded to said core respectively of said parts and disposed approximaterial whereby to reinforce the same, the area mately at an angle of 45 to each of said parts, of the wire fabric underlying the groove bei prosaid cut terminating close adjacent the line of invided with a wide angle, V-shaped ore, the a gl tersection of the outer surfaces respectively of included between the opposite sides of said score Said Part8 h r by to ffo d an area'of Said core being substantially greater than 90 and substanply ce in thickness and interconnecttially less than 180, and the base of said score 8 Said p b i close dj h b f id groove, d B. a sheet of flexible wire fabric substantially coex- C. flexible sheet material lining at least one of the optensive with Said i Said Wife fabric being positely facing surfaces of said core and effectively i bedded in and effectively bonded to Said Core bonded to said core material, said groove being efmaterial whereby to reinforce the Same, the areas fective to divide said panel into two parts, the area of Said Wire fabric respectively embedded in Said of said wire fabric embedded in the area of said main body and flange parts being interconnected core sharply reduced in thickness by said groove, y an intervening area of Said wire fabric extendand the associated areas of said sheet material afiiig through Said area of the Core p y reduced fording a hinge formation extending longitudinally in thickness as aforesaid and the area of the wire f said groove and interconnecting Said pane] fabric interconnecting the areas of wire fabric emparts, one of said panel parts being capable of bedded iespeetiveiy in said Parts and extending being turned on said hinge formation relative to thfough the e of core Sharply reduced in the other panel part whereby to close the angle thickness by said cut is in the form of a wide angle, cluded between the opposite sides of said groove. v'shaped Score, e angle included between the 2. In a structural panel, the combination consisting of opposite Sides of Said score being approximately A. a substantially thick coherent porous core of f polymeric material having C. flexible sheet material hnmg at least one of the opa main body part and positely facing surfaces of said core and effectively 2. a flange part extending laterally from said main bonded to said core materialbody part and disposed approximately at right 

2. In a structural panel, the combination consisting of A. a substantially thick coherent porous core of polymeric material having
 2. a flange part extending laterally from said main body part and disposed approximately at right angles thereto, said flange part being partially separated from said main body part by a deep cut extending from the line of intersection of the inner surfaces respectively of said parts toward the line of intersection of the outer surfaces respectively of said parts and disposed approximately at an angle of 45* to each of said parts, said cut terminating close adjacent the line of intersection of the outer surfaces respectively of said parts thereby to afford an area of said core sharply reduced in thickness and interconnecting said parts, B. a sheet of flexible wire fabric substantially coextensive with said core, said wire fabric being embedded in and effectively bonded to said core material whereby to reinforce the same, the areas of said wire fabric respectively embedded in said main body and flange parts being interconnected by an intervening area of said wire fabric extending through said area of the core sharply reduced in thickness as aforesaid, and the area of the wire fabric interconnecting the areas of wire fabric embedded respectively in said parts and extending through the area of the core sharply reduced in thickness by said cut is in the form of a wide angle, V-shaped score, the angle included between the opposite sides of said score being approximately 45*, and C. flexible sheet material lining at least one of the oppositely facing surfaces of said core and effectively bonded to said core material. 